04 May 2022  |   06:51am IST

Three workers die in a major explosion at Zuari Agro, Zuarinagar

Explosion reported at the factory premises; Workers were repairing a condenser tank, the blast threw the workers off from the top cover of the tank and flung them at a distance of 30 mts from the tank; All 3 died on way to the hospital

Team Herald

ZUARINAGAR: A major blast occurred at the Zuari Agro Chemical factory at Zuarinagar on Tuesday afternoon. Three workers died in the explosion reported at the factory premises. The workers were repairing a condenser tank.

Contract workers of Bokaro industrial works (maintenance contractor) were undertaking work on the ammonia plant process condensed tank having a capacity of 300 metres cubic. They were performing shutting down operations of the plant by using hot works technology.  

They were engaged in opening the top cover manhole of the tank by loosening the bolts. However, the workers used the gas cutter due to which an explosion occurred and the partial roof of the tank went off and the workers were thrown to the ground. All three workers died on the way to the hospital. 

Police investigation revealed that in the blast the workers flew off from the top cover of the tank and fell 30 metres from the tank. (The height of the tank from the ground level is 10 mts approx). 

“We were planning a shutdown of the plant on the 30th of this month (April) and the contractor staff were removing a nut bolt of the tank and while it was recommended to use cold works, they used hot works technology of gas cutting leading to a blast in the tank that caused the death of three contractual workers,” a source at the site, who did not wish to be named, said.

Zuari Agro Chemicals PRO Rajadhyaksha told the media that the company is in shutdown mode from 30th April. “This is our annual maintenance. Work was going on, on the condenser tank when the blast occurred at around 2.45 pm. Three workers were killed in the blast. They were removing the nozzle. The blast occurred when they were cutting it,” he stated

There was no ammonia tank blast, Rajadhyaksha clarified, it was a condenser tank, he stated. “The contractor and his workers are from Bokaro. He is our contractor for the last five years. They usually do the job for us,” he added

Responding to the tragic accident Factories and Boilers Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar told Herald, “If there is any negligence on the part of the factory, serious action will be taken.” He said the factory was in the process of shutting down from 30th April for annual maintenance. “We will take action, three people have died. Without safety measures, they cannot ask the workers to work. If there is negligence in the technical part, necessary action will be taken,” he said.

The minister said that Chief Inspector of Factories and Boilers Vivek Marathe and Inspector of Factories and Boilers Nandan Sawaikar have rushed to the factory site and based on their preliminary report, if any negligence by the management is found; stern action would be taken against them.

The Deputy Collector, DySP, and the local Police Inspector were also on the site of the tragic accident. Police investigations are on.